COLUMN: Republicans will reap consequences of hateful speech come November

It was unwelcome, yet not unsurprising to hear Oakland County Executive L. Brook Patterson bashing Detroit proper in a national publication, again! When does this stop? Mr. Patterson says such nasty things about a city so dear to the hearts of many in southeast Michigan and he needs to be penalty checked, if not by the voters, then at least by the party in power which means it the responsibility of Gov. Snyder to quiet this man down, but whether our sitting governor has the guts and courage to do so may be the more important question?

And why would Dave Agema even begin to think to step aside as Michigan’s Republican National Committeeman? This guy is having the fun of his life ripping at the heart of those of us who believe in equal rights for all American people. Muslims, gays and feminists deserve better.

I agree with Joe Sylvester, chairman of the Michigan Log Cabin Republicans who recently stated “in a nutshell, he (Agema) is saying that he stands by everything that he says” and disagree with the conclusion “but he made a logistical mistake in posting it online.”

That’s because Mr. Agema wanted his personal and ugly views about our Muslim brothers and sisters and our gay neighbors broadcasted to the nation in the low down effort to attract political fundraising.

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This is how these people do their business; it should come as no surprise that Mr. Agema stays on message and continues to blog and Tweet his hate speech.

MLCR Sylvester rightfully points out “If the Michigan Republican Party wanted a clown to aid its candidates, they should have rented one from the Ringling Brothers.”

They could also call former Michigan State Senator Dave Jaye back to Lansing! Remember when he got on Big John Engler’s bad side, he still suffered the ramifications of being kicked out of the legislature!

Or they could hire the notorious rocker and longtime NRA supporter Ted Nugent who recently referred to President Obama as a “subhuman mongrel.” One would like to say Nugent knows better, buy many would have high doubts. One can only imagine what his dinner table conversation is about; there’s no pity for the individual who ain’t like him!

As if Nugent is some patriotic American who fought for this country and braved the enemy on foreign soil. People forget, or may not be aware, that the Motor City Madman purposely failed his 1960s U.S. Selective Service draft physical examination during the Vietnam War by acting like a fool who defecated in his own bootstraps, meaning one of our relatives and neighbors stepped up and took his place, and one came home in a U.S. flag draped coffin.

Mr. Agema’s comments are representative of what the extremists element within the Michigan Republican Party have come to be, and Agema and his Neanderthal political cohorts need to know that for every derogatory reference to their fellow American, it means less votes at the ballot box. All Michigan voters are tired of ultraconservative Republican hate speech and will remember come November!

Kenneth Hreha is a resident of Dryden and an Oakland University alumnus.